How to search history of heraldry from it's image?

How to search history of heraldry from it's image?

I'm wondering if anyone knows how to go about searching for the history of heraldry from it's image? We have a ring in our family that my dad has a wild story about. None of the parts of the story really match up, and I'd like to find out the truth. Is there a way to search for the history of it from it's image?

Specifics about it: a lion's paw "hovering" over a crown. The story my dad tells me is that it was awarded by the King to the man who fired the first cannon in the Battle of Crece against the French. I know I'm butchering the spelling here, but I believe he says it was a Welsh man, named Rhyffis ap _________. (The last name escapes me tonight.)

Does anyone know how I can go about searching for this kind of information?